“Sometimes, in the search for originality, the most obvious dishes are forgotten,” wrote Elizabeth David. She was writing about oeuf mayonnaise. But as it turns out, she need not have worried. Or at least not if she was gadding about the bars and restaurants of the state of Victoria right about now. The low-key French classic is on the up around these parts, and it’s finding a hearty reception.
In France people care enough about the preservation of this bistro classic to support an association dedicated to the cause, the Association De Sauvegarde De L’œuf Mayonnaise (motto: “Le temps passe, les œufs durent”), which today has a following of more than 10,000 for its Instagram account.
You can also see the appeal from the perspective of the kitchen – it’s one of the most straightforward dishes in the French canon: eggs with eggs. At its simplest, we’re talking hard-boiled eggs cut in half and served with mayonnaise. And that’s it.
It’s a great way to open a meal or accompany drinks. The oeufs work both ways at Public Wine Shop in Fitzroy North, where they’ve become a staple of chef Ali Currey-Voumard’s menu; she sets her five-and-a-half-minute eggs cut-side down on a mayo bright with yolk, and garnishes them with Cuca anchovy fillets. A few blocks away, at Gerald’s Bar in Carlton North, meanwhile, the eggs are whole (peeled, of course), and well peppered.
Taking things significantly farther afield, for a more luxe oeuf mayonnaise outing, you could train your sights on Chauncy, the new Heathcote restaurant that scored two hats in the most recent Good Food Guide. Here, chef Louis Naepels spoons the mayo onto the yolks of the halved eggs and then opts for eggs-on-eggs-on-eggs by adding Yarra Valley caviar before setting the whole thing off with a borage flower. It’s a good time.
The verdict: Le temps passe, les œufs durent.
Get your taste:
Public Wine Shop, 179 St Georges Rd, Fitzroy North, publicwineshop.com.au
Gerald’s Bar, 386 Rathdowne St, Carlton North, geraldsbar.com.au
Chauncy, 178 High St, Heathcote, chauncy.com.au
By Pat Nourse